Chapter 1: Eyes Open, Eyes Closed

"Wake up, Rose. He wants to see you now." As usual my guard, Eddie, was waking me him to tell me that I needed to report to see the King. I don't know why he always phrased it like I had a choice. I didn't have one. Not at all.

"Can't I sleep for a few more minutes? I always have to get up so early. It's frustrating that I never get to sleep in," I said as I put the pillow over my face trying to trap in the darkness and feeling my hot breath enclose into the pillowcase.

"You know you have to get up. Why do you fight it?" Eddie was pulling back my curtains ensuring the sunlight was coming in to make me wake up.

"I'm hoping one day he'll let me." I sighed and pulled the covers off of me. I put my feet over the side of my large bed, and stretched my arms in the air. I was beginning to feel the cold air touch my feet and make it's way up my legs. It was freezing, but I had gotten used to it.

"You need to hurry, Rose. We're in a hurry just like always. He doesn't like to be kept waiting, you know that. So hurry up and get dressed. I'll be waiting for you outside just like usual." Eddie strode right out the door without looking back. He was always down to business in the mornings, but when he wasn't in the watchful eye of the King, he let down his guard and could actually be carefree and fun. Even though Eddie assured me that the King wasn't a monster and I'd grow to like him, even love him, it was all I could see.

Every now and then I would think about how I ended up here and how I became a prisoner. Even though to everyone else it would seem I live in luxury because I'm the kings wife all it feels is like a prison to me. He didn't have to do me any favors by saving me in the street. I could have and would have starved if I had to. I maybe could have fought the guards and gotten away.

He somehow found me though. I was laying there in the street because I hadn't had anything to eat for five days and I was starving and exhausted. Two of his guards were coming down the street, one got off his horse, and I saw him look at me. I couldn't make out what he said, but I felt him brush the hair off of my face and saw his eyes widen once he saw my face. He said something to the other guard that was with him and the guard said something like "leave her alone, she's just a young, homeless peasant." This seemed to be a recurring event that happened and that's why I tried to prevent it from happening. When a man found out what I looked like, it seemed to cause me trouble. I knew I was pretty, I had been told all my life, but it also attracted lots of men. They weren't always the good men either.

The guard was beginning to make his move and I heard the other guard sigh and lead his horse out of the alley we were in. Apparently while his partner had his way with me, he was going to just wait until it was finished. I acted quickly even though my limbs were aching and my body was weak. My breathing was beginning to become ragged and strained but I managed to kick him in the groin.

"You little bitch, I'm not going to let you get away," The guard was gasping in pain, his face was a slight shade of red, and his eyes were bugging out. I looked down at him and decided that I had a short amount of time before he would come after me, or his partner would come after me. I had to get as far away as I could.

I began to run even though my lungs were burning. They were giving me a warning sign that this was dangerous what I was doing. They wanted to give out, and I wanted to pass out, to give up. I should just rest. The guard would have his way with me if I passed out that's what I was sure of.

Sometimes you do stupid things in order to survive. I wasn't going to stop and I would make sure the guard didn't find me. I would die fighting before I let him have his way with me. It happened to me once when I was weaker. That situation was motivation for me to learn how to learn, to die trying to fight, and to make sure it never happened again.

I was still running and making as many turns as I could. The other guard had come back to his partner and was asking him what had happened. They were yelling and I could hear it vividly. The guard that was trying to force himself on me was telling him to go after me and to bring me back. He wanted to hurt me now.

"I'll bring her back, just wait here," The other guard said to his partner. He must have gotten back on his horse again and he was beginning to move. The horse was running and chasing after me. The sounds of the clicking as the horses hooves hit the pavement told me he wasn't that far away from me. He was determined to find me.

I had to either hide or fight him when he came. I didn't know if he found me if I could fight him off. He was a lot bigger, and muscular than the first guy I fought off. He could knock me out and take me back. I decided to hide to hide and if I needed to , I would fight.

He was closing in on me, searching each close alley as he passed by. I hadn't gone that far from where the guard tried to force himself on me. I held my breath when he finally came in the alley where I was hiding in. I was crouched behind a dumpster and I wasn't concealed very well. The horses hooves were clapping against the pavement again as he slowly began to move down the alley, slowly searching to see if I was here.

As he got close to me, I quickly darted up from my position and tried to run. I saw him look and see that it was me and followed me with a look of determination on his face. He was going to catch me and there was nothing I could do.

"Stop, right now, or I will knock you down if I have to." The guard was shouting behind me. I stopped running. There was no use in fighting even though my inner self was screaming at me that I couldn't just let him take me. I stood there as he easily caught up to where I was standing. He got off his horse and stood over by me.

"What am I going to do with you? I should take you back to him. You fought though, I like your spirit. Maybe I should just take you myself. You'd be fun to play with for a little while at least. You do have a pretty face even though it's dirty. You can't hide it and you can't hide that body of yours either. I noticed your body before." He had a smirk on his face as he was looking me up and down.

He was walking towards me again and I was backing away from his. I felt my hands hit the wall and my body hit up against it too. I was beginning to feel actual fear now. There was nothing left I could do. I closed my eyes and his hand was in my hair brushing it away from my face.

"Even though you're dirty and haven't bathed, I'm still going to take you." He said as he began to lean into me.

Then I heard other voices begin to come into the alley too and sounds of other horses. My eyes were still closed but suddenly the guard flinched and pulled away from me.

There were multiple people coming towards us, I was sure. I was afraid to open my eyes and to be wrong. I was afraid it was going to be more people coming to help him or his partner out. They would leave me here with him and they'd just let this happen to me.

I opened my eyes to see that it was the King, some more guards, and then I passed out.